pebktns



(No Model.)

B. OEHRLE & J. R. PERKINS.

GRATE.

B Patented May 31, 1887.

,to avoid the expense of drilling and of the interlock therewithdirectly, dispensing thus UNIT D STATES FFICE.

ATENT GRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,035, dated May 31,1887.

Application filed December 16, 1886. Serial No. 221,146 (No model.) 7

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it know that we, EMANUEL OEHRLE and JAMEs R. PERKINS, of Omaha, inthe county of Douglas, State of Nebraska, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Rocking Grates, of which the following is herebydeclared to be a full, clear, and exact descrip tion, sufficient toenable others skilled in the art to make anduse the same.

Our invention relates to that class of grates employed in boiler andother furnaces wherein the grate is made up of several bars or sectionsarranged side and side in even plane to sustain the fuel, such barsbeing rocked or otherwise shifted to break the clinker or fuel matt andclear the fire of ashes and refuse.

Heretofore rocking grate-bars have ordinarily been made with thedependent driver for the bar cast in one piece therewith, or, ifseparate, then secured to the bar by bolt-and-nut fastening, whichlatter device has also been the customary expedient for connecting theseries of drivers to the drivingbar. Should any defect exist either inthe grate-bar or the driver, both must be discarded if cast together. Ifseparately made, each can be removed and replaced at will, but thedrilling and fitting necessary in the use of the bolt-and nut fasteningrenders the use of this device tedious and troublesome.

In some instances the drivers were detachable from the rocking bars andwere made to with the drilling and with the bolt-and-nut fasteningsusually employed; and for like purpose the connecting-bar common to theseries of dependent drivers has also been made to directly lock with anddetach from the drivers,

bolt-fastenings. Our improvements pertain more especially to devices ofthis class wherein the grate-bars, dependent d rivers, and the conmeeting-bar are separate and are capable of being directly joined andset up in position without drilling and without the use ofboltfastenings.

The nature ofthe invention will fully appear from the followingspecification thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part of the same, injvhich like lettersof reference denote likeparts of structure throughout.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a grate embodying ourimprovements. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof; and Fig. 3, a sideelevation, partly in section, on line' mm, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectionalview in detail, showingthe position of the grate-bars when rocked intoinclined position.

Conveniently mounted at the front and back of the fuel-chamber of thefurnace are the bearers A, A and A respectively, which extend along thechamber and furnish supports at suitable intervals for the journals orpivots of the series of grate-bars B. One of the bearers, as at A", iscast entire with the holes or bearings therein ready to receive thejournals of the grate-bars. The other bearer, as at A A, is dividedlongitudinally, as shown, each section thereof being provided with partseats to inclose the corresponding journals, of the grate-bars. By thisprovision the bearers A and the lower division, A, of the other bearermay be secured in place within the furnace-walls, and the series ofgrate-bars, or any thereof, set up or removed at will by slipping theopposite journals into the seats in the bearers A and A, designed toreceive them, after which the upper section of the divided bearer may bemounted in place and securely bolted to its companion section, as at a,thus furnishing a quick and convenient means for replacing defectivegrate-bars when desired, at the same time that such bars are firmly heldin position within the fuel-chamber.

A side bar, A supported at each end of the fuel-chamber, engages theabutting end of the front and back-bearers to keep the same in positionand yet allow for the necessary expansion of the grate-bars under theinfluence of the furnace heat. The side bars, A, arefurnished withprojecting fuel-points, which intermesh with the correspondingfuel-points projecting from the sides of the grate-bars B.

The grate-bars B, next to theirjournal end b,are furnished with enlargedbosses or collars b, to ride against the front and back bearers and toallow the gratebars to rock easily about their pivots withoutinterference. The body of each grate-bar B is provided with fuel tips orprojections at each side of the bar and intermeshingwith the companiontips of the grate-bar next adjacent. The long slots or inlets c areformed through each of the gratebars B for the admission of a freesupply of air to the fire, and serving, also, thereby to cool Extendingacross the flanged lower portions of each barB isalateral pin, (1, castin one piece with the bar and its flanges and designed to receive andsustain thehooked head or end of the drivers D. The drivers D arepreferably bifurcated or forked, as shown at f", Fig. 4, in the upperportion thereof, so as to pass snugly between the flanges of thegrate-bars B, whereby the drivers are firmly sustained in place.

By inserting the forked head or end of the driver D between the ribs ofthe grate-bar B, with the hooked slot of the driver face uppermost, thedriver may then be drawn along until such slot engages with the pin d,whereupon the driver D may be forced in and turned about the pin (I;thus bringing said driver upright beneath the grate-bars, as shown bythe drawings. By thus providing the driver and grate-bar with theinterlocking device described these parts may be secured firmly togetherwithout the use of bolts and nntsor the need of drilling and fittingholes for the same, which latter is a troublesome and annoyingoperation. end, is provided with an elongated opening, 0, of sizesufficient to receive the driving-bar E when the same is insertedflatwise through such opening. At the upper side each opening e ispreferably made of bevel-face, as at 70, to direct the driving-bar E andto allow. for its ready insertion through the opening 6 of the driver.The series of drivers D having been mounted in position beneath thegratebars B, as already described, the driving-bar Eis thrust endwise,flat face down, through the openings 0 of the series of drivers D,andthen by a quarter-turn is interlocked with each driver, said drivingbarthus standing in vertical position,with the notchesf therein seatedwithin the rests or bearings m formed at the lower ends of the driversD. The upper ex ternal face of each indent or notch 7 next in contactwith the bevel-edge 7c is conveniently curved in outline from the rest mas a center, so as to insure a snug bearing between the connecting-barand drivers during the operation of shaking the grate, thus preventinglost motion and rickety play between the parts. By this means thedriving-bar is connected simultaneously with all of the drivers, and maybe easily disconnected therefrom, thus avoiding the need of the usualbolts or rivets, as heretofore employed. A link, g, connects the outerend of the driving-bar E with the handlever H, pivoted, as at h, to thebracket I. By actuating the hand-lever H the driversD will cause thegrate-bars to rock back and forth about their pivots 1) far enough topermit the escape of the ashes from the grate-bars into the pit below atthe same time that the clinker is loosened, and may be withdrawn by theuse of a hooked poker or like tool.

Each driver D, near its lower.

In burning straw, shavings, or other like refuse requiring the freeadmission of an in creased volume of air it is only necessary to reversethe grate-bars B to inclined positlon,

as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, in which relation such bars willfurnish suflieient support for the light fuel, and at the same time willadmit the air in volume sufiicient to accomplish complete and rapidcombustion. It will be noted that the lugs n, extending from the sidebars, A, cause said bars to be maintained at a distance from the wallsof the furnace, so that ventage is furnished for the incoming air inaddition to that supplied by the ports a. The side bars, A", arefurnished with a shoulder, Y, next against the bearer A, so that theparts of such bearer are better-retained in place, and thus underexpansion do not impede the free rotation of the gratebars about theirpivots b.

It will be understood that the several details of structure heretoforeset forth may be varied without'departing from the spirit of theinvention, which is not confined to such details, but should beunderstood to include the equivalents thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with the rocking gratebar and its dependent flange,having lateral pin thereon, of the hook-headed driver detachablyinterlocking with said pinand retained between the dependent flanges ofsaid rocking bar, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the rocking gratebar and its dependentflange,having lateral pin thereon, of the bifurcated hook-headed driverdetachably interlocking with said pin and retained between the dependentflanges of said rocking bar, substantially as described.

3, The combination, withthe rocking gratebars and with the driversdependent therefrom, having an elongated opening and a seat or rest inthe lower part thereof, of the conneeting-bar common to said driversinsertible endwise through such opening, and provided with a series ofi'ndents or notches to detachably interlock with said seats,substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the rocking gratebars, of the front and backbearers to receive EMANUEL OEHRLE. JAMES R. PERKINS.

Witnesses:

J. A. \ViLLIAMs, W. H. KUECK.

